1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tee divider for dividing the tee area of a golf driving range into subsections and for blocking golf balls laterally projected from the tee area of a golf driving range or a tee area of a golf course.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At a typical driving range, numerous golfers line up closely adjacent to one another in a straight or slightly curved row relative to a common range or field. At driving ranges providing only driving range services (hereinafter "commercial" driving ranges), individual "stalls" are provided along the row from which individual golfers may drive golf balls into the common range or field. The tee area of each stall typically is provided with artificial grass or plastic turf from which the golf balls are struck. The stalls are divided from one another by fixed, rigid dividers made of either cement, wood, metal or some other fixed, impact-resistant material. The dividers are designed to prevent "shanked" or laterally projected golf balls from striking adjacent golfers or spectators; however, the rigid construction of such dividers often indirectly causes injury to the golfer, adjacent golfers or spectators when shanked shots ricochet off the impact-resistant walls of the dividers. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a tee divider which is impact-absorbent to prevent laterally projected or shanked golf balls from ricocheting off the tee divider towards the golfer and adjacent golfers and spectators.
Many public and private golf courses also provide driving ranges as an annex to the golf course (hereinafter "course" driving range) for "warming up" before play or for practice. Such course driving ranges have a designated tee area from which golfers are required to hit golf balls, but typically do not provide individualized stalls having fixed, rigid dividers separating adjacent golfers. Fixed, rigid dividers are not practical since, contrary to commercial driving ranges, the designated tee area of course driving ranges comprises real grass which wears out throughout the golf season. Once the grass in the designated tee area becomes unacceptably worn, the designated tee area is moved, usually forward or backward relative to the range itself. Due to this necessary movement, fixed, rigid tee dividers, such as those provided at commercial driving ranges, would be impractical at course driving ranges. Therefore, it would also be desirable to provide a tee divider which is lightweight and easily movable from one section of a tee surface to another.
During play of golf, the initial tee shot or drive is typically likely to be a golfer's most errant tee shot since the golfer may not be fully warmed-up and ready to play. Accordingly, his initial tee shot is potentially the most dangerous since it is the likeliest tee shot to be severely shanked or laterally projected, possibly causing injury to other golfers or spectators near the tee area or damaging property near the tee area. Typically, golf courses do not provide a barrier or divider at the tee area to guard against such errantly hit shots for several reasons. Like course driving ranges, the designated tee area on each hole of a golf course is not fixed, but rather is moved frequently due to turf wear. Further, fixed dividers or barriers would detract from the aesthetic beauty of most golf courses. Therefore, it would further be desirable to provide a tee divider which is aesthetically attractive and visually acceptable at the tee area of a golf course.